City Council & School Board Leadership to Meet Regularly

East Providence’s newly elected School Committee Chairman, David Luiz has hit the ground running since his November 2024 election. A newcomer to the School Committee, Luiz (Ward Three) was also elected board chairman when the new committee reorganized. Another first-time member is Tony Desimas in Ward Two. Anthony Ferreira returns to the board after being off for a term, as the at-large member. Returning is veteran Ward Four member Jessica Beauchaine and second termer Ryan Queenan, Ward One. Joining Luiz as Chair is Desimas as Vice-Chair.

Luiz has been mostly positive and complimentary about the school department so far, indicating that he wants to “help the schools continue to improve in test scores and attendance rates as we’re finding. I see a lot of good things going on that we must maintain.” Luiz does say a key to school success is “good communication and I do hear from parents that they would like to see more home-school communication and understanding of school financing. I want to help move that forward,” adds Luiz.

The other side of the local government is the City Council. The elected mayoral form of government has taken hold from the days of a City Manager after voters got rid of the latter. While the Mayor runs the day-to-day administration of city business, the council has a final say in budgeting and crafting of ordinances and resolutions. Bob Rodericks is in his second term and serves as Council President. “All five council members have an equal vote on issues, I see my job as presiding over meetings, ensuring fairness and decorum and helping to steer compromise in the face of occasional acrimony. I take leadership as very important and strive to be a conduit between the Mayor and council opinions. We mostly work together but politics is serious stuff and sometimes the discussions can be testy. I try to pull all sides to the table,” Rodericks said.

Since the November election Rodericks and Luiz have talked often. “We called each other and agreed to meet together on a regular basis,” said Luiz. “We understand each other’s role and want to keep an open line of communication. That is important,” adds Luiz.

Both board leaders have a common denominator. Both are proud graduates of East Providence High School, and both are determined to support the city schools as a top priority. “I’ve been around a while and I remember those dark days of City Councils and City Managers not prioritizing public education,” said Rodericks. “Our schools suffered a lot at one time and ‘Townie Pride’ was almost fatally wounded. But the right people were eventually elected and slowly the pride and support returned. The last couple of councils and school committees have worked together well,” he added. Both leaders welcome the fact that Mayor DaSilva is a “frequent flyer” at school events. “It’s refreshing to see a Mayor show strong support for our students. We know the kids love it.” Luiz and Rodericks have vowed that those “dark days” will never return to EP schools. “We can’t let that happen. We will have professional disagreements at times, but discussions will be honest, and we’ll figure it out,” both said in their joint statement. Rodericks and Luiz acknowledge that difficult budget days lie ahead. Projected state deficits, high school and middle school bond issues have to be paid back, and costs are up everywhere. “Our regular open communication will give us our best chance to keep finances in line while serving our community.”

“I commit to speaking to Dave Luiz every week and I know council members Rego, Sousa, Fogarty and Lawson have shown their strong support for our schools often,” pledged Rodericks. “I, too, am excited to work with our council and look forward to speaking to Bob Rodericks regularly. Our committee is on board. We are all in this for our city and will work hard to maintain,” added Luiz.